Hope and dread in response to abortion decision

Jun. 25—The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision which made abortion legal throughout the United States, in a majority opinion released Friday.

The 6-3 decision held that abortion is not a constitutionally protected right, and the decision is up to the people in individual states and their elected representatives.

Crystal Latimer, president of Ashtabula County Friends for Life, said she was elated.

But she added that the decision won't change anything immediately in Ohio.

Ohio law currently makes abortions illegal after a heartbeat is detected, according to the Ohio Revised Code.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a motion in federal court on Friday to remove an injunction against that law, Latimer said.

"There's all these things that are in flux, that are waiting to be determined by a higher court," she said.

Latimer said there are no abortion providers in Ashtabula County.

Roe v. Wade had been the law of the land for 49 years.

Ashtabula County Friends for Life plans to host a service in celebration of the ruling at Gateway Church on Austinburg Road at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Latimer said.

"I can hardly wrap my head around that it's finally happened," she said. "Because of all these years of praying and just hoping it would somehow be overturned, and it's just surreal to me that it's really happened. I am just totally thrilled."

Conneaut resident Debbie Newcomb said people fought for the right to choose to have an abortion.

"Everybody has their own belief about it, but I just don't think we should make those decisions for others," Newcomb said. "I think people should be able to make their own [decisions]."

Newcomb said she hoped Supreme Court justices would have listened to the pushback against the leaked opinion.

"I'm very disappointed that they're not thinking of the people that it will harm," Newcomb said.

She said she expects a spike in illegal abortions, which will make people's lives more dangerous.

"I just can't believe that, after all this time, that it's a problem," she said. "So many other things we need to focus on."

Newcomb said she believes the decision just takes more choices and opportunities from women.

"Not everybody has the opportunities all of us do," Newcomb said. "Those are tough decisions for people. I just worry that it's going to create more issues, like having illegal abortions, or doing something that isn't healthy for them."

Ashtabula resident Mary Ellen Blake said the legality of abortion is a matter for legislators to decide, not for the courts.

"There really isn't any constitutional basis for addressing the issue of abortion," Blake said. "It needs to be settled in the legislatures, either in the congress, or, in this case, the states.

"The 10th Amendment says whatever's not addressed in the constitution will be handled by the states. As opposed as I am to abortion, I think it's up to the people to decide, and not jurists."

State legislatures reflect the position of their constituents, Blake said.

"I'm really very thankful that this decision has been rendered," she said. "The struggles are just beginning in the legislatures, but that's as it should be. It's a legislative issue."

Ashtabula County Democratic Party Chair Susan Hagan said Friday was a sad day for America.

"This decision takes away a woman's right to her reproductive rights," Hagan said. "It's shameful, tragic and it's not going to stop abortions, it's just going to stop legal abortions, and it's going to have a huge impact for years to come."

Hagan said there is now no clearer difference between America's two major political parties.

"There's a lot of sad women out there today," she said. "The best thing we can do is we continue to fight, we fight like hell, and we elect people that are going to put in place people who believe women have a right to decide what they do with their bodies."

Hagan said she will work to elect pro-choice candidates.

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, who represents Ashtabula County, issued a statement on Friday praising the decision, saying the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade was a stretch legal theory.

"The Constitution does not confer the right to abortion," Joyce said in the statement. "It does, however, provide states with the power to regulate the practice as they see fit. Today's Supreme Court decision is a long overdue victory for states' rights and the sanctity of life. The power to protect the unborn has been rightfully returned to the people and those they elect to represent them."

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown said Roe v. Wade was the law for almost 50 years, and called on Congress and the president to act to restore abortion protections.

"This will be the first generation of women to grow up with fewer rights and freedoms than their mothers and grandmothers, and this burden will be disproportionately carried by low-income women and women of color," Brown said.

"This is a radical decision by an increasingly out-of-touch court, and Americans won't stand for it. When, how, and whether to have a family is one of the most personal and meaningful decisions we make in life, and the freedom to make those decisions for yourself, free from political interference, should be available to everyone."